Newburgh's creative side....

 
I was over in Newburgh recently delivering some samples and business cards for my workshops to the very helpful, talented, creative and lovely Laura and Peter Beaven who opened Twist Fibre Craft Studio in 2003. I was introduced to the shop a couple of years ago by some very good friends and the shop has  been supplying my students and myself with  fabulous wools and textiles ever since. Many times my students have turned up at classes with enormous brown bags full of wool saying that they just couldn't help it, as the amazing colours and textures come out of their goody bags other student drool over the contents and are helpless to the lure of a trip over to Newburgh..... unless you've been to the shop you just wont understand!!!. Laura and Peter have worked hard to give not just the shop a great name but both of them and the staff that work there fire you up with passion about textiles because they love them so much themselves, they are more than happy to give advise and if you love textiles then you will love these photographs and no doubt you will be helpless and have no choice but to jump in the car and visit, be warned if you have anyone with you that you may be gone for some time!!

www.twistfibrecraft.co.uk

Tiffin

Now if after this you are feeling peckish, but your not rolling in money ( as you have probably spent it all on yourself in lovely Twist Fibre ) then pop up to the other end of town to Tiffin the food is great the prices are beyond reasonable and the young couple who have just taken over this wee place are lovely and will give you a warm welcome!  www.tiffintearoom.co.uk

The Sun Gallery

After you have eaten and feeling rather richer than you thought you would be as it didn't cost you a fortune.. you can head back down towards the town again and pop into the Sun Gallery and Nick will be happy to take some of your well earned cash and reward you with any of the following :- sculpture,ceramics,woodwork paintings or jewellery and great greetings cards too! An amazing array of talented artists work is here and Nick spends time getting to know all his artists so when you buy something you can get to know a little bit about the person that created it..Nick is an artist himself with a very impressive background so you can be confident that he knows what hes talking about when you ask for his advise..  www.sungallery.co.uk.

Kit & Caboodle

Down further at the other end of town is the most amazing little shop, and sadly I dint get any photographs of it.. but please try and visit if you can.. its called Kit and Caboodle.. and is owned by Lou Shaw who must in my mind be the most creative person ever because she has mixed old and new, vintage, retro, handmade, eco, and recycled together to create the most stunning little gift shop I have ever been in.... Kit and Caboodle, 29 high Street, Newburgh KY14 6AQ


Last of all here is The Steeple where I will be taking my workshops http://workshops.moraglloyds.com

Memory Book

I have been teaching how to make these books as a source of therapy in reminiscence  projects for people that have impared memory and have produced various ones for sight touch smell etc but also for just keeping little things in. Some of my other students have crated textile books for nursery rhymes, children's stories, the seasons, old photographs and many other uses.
Here are some sample pages from a book of smell.. smell is one of the things that take you back in time and its a great way of starting a conversation about the past..

This book was full of herbs and spices and Iv used techniques in wet felting such as  nuno felting and pre felt

Nunno felting a few samples

Here are a few samples of  nuno felting using scraps of found fabrics

LONGER LENGTHS MIXING IT UP

In between drawing and painting I enjoy a bit of  more hands on creativity,I am becoming a bit obsessed with textiles!

Iv been working on ideas for longer necklaces using scraps and combining with felting techniques. and thinking of different materials to use.. I did create a lot of mess but it was fun!!

Trying something new

I decided that I wanted to try mixing up things a little, so I wet felted a basic bangle and then added all sorts of scraps sewn in old shrunken jumpers, cord, needle-felted thin fibres and re wet felted into the piece. It took a while and I managed to put the felting needle right through one side of my finger and out the other side and I stared at amazement for a moment before the pain hit and I yanked the needle back out.. but anyhow after some trials, (some thicker fabrics just didnt look right) I ended up with this design just right for the Party season!